After seeing someone post a topic recently, I decided to create a guide for all of you who are currently suffering for depression. Hopefully this guide will help solve your problems. :). Let's get started, shall we?

1. What is depression?

• Depression: an illness that causes a person to feel sad and hopeless much of the time. It is different from normal feelings of sadness, grief, or low energy.

2. What are the symptoms of depression?

• You constantly feel irritable, sad, or angry.
• Loss in interest with hobbies that you used to enjoy.
• You feel bad about yourself—worthless, guilty, or just "wrong" in some way.
• You sleep too much or not enough.
• You have frequent, unexplained headaches or other physical problems.
• Anything and everything makes you cry.
• You’ve gained or lost weight without consciously trying to. Also, you have a loss of appetite.
• Loss of energy/low energy
• You just can’t concentrate. Your grades are suffering because of this and etc.
• You feel helpless and hopeless.
• You’re thinking about death or suicide. (If this is true, talk to someone that you feel comfortable with right away!)

3. What are the causes of depression?

• Major life changing events that can create stress, such as childbirth, death of a loved one, break ups/relationship problems, etc.
• Illnesses, such as arthritis, heart disease, cancer, or anything between those lines.
• Certain medications, such as steroids or narcotics for pain relief.
• Drinking alcohol, using illegal drugs. Being "under the influence."
• Physical, emotional, or sexual abuse.
• Other personal problems such as social isolation due to other mental illnesses, or being an outcast of a family or social circle.

4. How can you deal with depression?

• Accept that you're depressed and try to deal with it in a healthy way.
  
• Eat enough fruits and vegetables, and make sure your iron and thyroid levels are where they should be. Nutrition plays a major role in energy levels and bodily function. If something is not right in our bodies it may reflect in our mood. Pay special attention to your food intake.
  
• Expand your group of friends. Get close to your family. Join a club or a gym. Go to a class that you enjoy. Meet people. The more friends an individual has the less likely they are to be depressed. It is important to have someone you trust to share your feelings with.
  
• Keep a journal/diary. When you write your feelings down it will help you keep track of when your depressive episodes start. This in turn may lead you to any nutritional or emotional triggers, and allow you to control them before you start. You can share your problems with a trusted adult or friend whom you feel comfortable enough to talk to.
  
• Meditate. Meditation helps the release the mind from tension. A meditation tape can walk you through the steps. Relaxation and rest is key to keeping a sound mind. This can help with stress and help heighten your mental skills.
  
• Know that you're not alone. You might be surprised at how many other teens suffer from depression. You are not alone, and neither is your depression a hopeless case. Even though it can feel like depression will never lift, it eventually will—and with proper treatment and healthy choices, that day can come even sooner. ?In the meantime, you might need therapy or medication to help you while you sort out your feelings. Look into your treatment options with your parents. If medication is being considered, do your research before making a decision, as some antidepressants used for adults can actually make teens feel worse.
  
• Avoiding drugs and alcohol can help with your physical depression. You may be tempted to drink or use drugs in an effort to escape from your feelings and get a "mood boost", even if just for a short time. However, substance use can not only make depression worse, but can cause you to become depressed in the first place. Alcohol and drug use can also increase suicidal feelings. In short, drinking and taking drugs will make you feel worse—not better—in the long run. If you’re addicted to alcohol or drugs, seek help. You will need special treatment for your substance problem on top of whatever treatment you’re receiving for your depression.

This information was from websites, and they are credited here: link1, link2, link3.

Remember that you are not alone! :). If you have any questions about depression, feel free to respond to this topic.

I must agree with the thread's author, meditation is by far the best cure. Do NOT depend on pills... trust me, those commercials are marketing scams to scam you out of your money and health.

wow vinity, you really took the time!

i think the pills are stupid. i dont know if they work or not but even if they do, i think theyre stupid. happy pills are weird.

They're basically a masking agent. It makes your brain pretend all the chemicals are balanced properly while in reality the chemicals are becoming more potent and making you (in a sense) bottle up your emotions. Until that one day you're off your pills... and BAAAAAAAM you'll most likely kill yourself. Then you get blamed for killin yourself because you missed your pill =\

i personally agree that pills are bullshit. it may just be because i can't do them, though.
i do have a few friends who have been on antidepressants. one of them just keeps taking them 'cause it makes her feel a bit better, the other just helped clear things up for a while so she could fix everything and is now off of them.

i'm at the point right now that i think i should get off of my pills now. my only fear that i have is what i'm going to be like without them. before my depression i was a happy person but due to having a baby recently and a deployed husband, i got a double whammy for my depression to kick in. hopefully when he returns, i'll be my normal self again once i get off my meds. i'm consulting my doc about it this mon so hopefully we can work something out to where i wont need them anymore.

thanks so much for making this thread! i really appreciate it but also i hope this can get others to see that they are not alone.

Amen to that! I really don't know why people insist on prescribing medicine to depressed people. Its a case of a mind not a physical sickness.

I took pills for depression and they eventually stopped working and did the opposite and made me more depressed than i was before. God it was horrible. And then I forgot to take my pill one day and I felt better. I was stupid and just went off of them cold turkey (not really supposed to but I was fine) and i felt great.

yeah pills are stupid. its better just to deal with it and not let it mess up your life

Great topic. I'm taking meds for depression as well. The first being Wellbutrin from my first psychiatrist, the second being Prozac (and abilify for paranoia, haha). Neither of them seemed to work -- I just take them to make my psychiatrist happy. I'm still struggling through the stages of depression, and even didn't graduate highschool because of it. I'm trying to work through everything right now, and it all just seems like a ... well, mess. I'm going to try that meditation suggestion though, sounds helpful and calming.

These testimonies has proven quite a bit. If you feel depressed, try anything to stay away from being drugged, that is not the cure.

And Reconditee, it just takes patience and practice. And it is very calming and peaceful. We must think at a peaceful pace.

it was never said that drugs cure depression, it assists you in getting better along with therapy. there are some that don't know how to do meditation or anything like that so this is another option.

There's other solutions though. We shouldn't depend on drugs, we have the mental capacity to at least control our own minds. But whatever, yeah pills may work, and they assist in the process of ending/curing depression... but they're not healthy, that's for sure.

What if the source of your depression lies in your appearance, as well as tensions within your family? You can't join a club or be out in the public because of the way people initially react to your physical appearance. And you can't get close to your family if that's the problem itself.

Writing in a journal and meditating doesn't sound too bad, though.

1. With yourself.... in meditation you'll have this self-realization, you'll start to analyze your self very deeply, thoughts inside thoughts. The more you have self knowledge the more you'll realize who you really are and how perfect you truly are or can be, regardless of exterior image. Once you build your self confidence through self realization... if you can do anything rational to change your looks, such as exercise, then have at it.

2. With family, you've gotta sit down with them. Let them know what goes through your head. When there's no communication between you and your family, your family doesn't know how to parent you. No communication is as bad as detachment and detachment from family sort of sucks really...

Over all, do things for you.
Build yourself
Control yourself
Impress yourself

This sounds familiar..

I take Lexapro, and it helps with my depression A LOT. I stopped taking it because I hated the idea of "depending on pills to be normal", but it got scary. So, I think the pills are beneficial, to me anyway.

I have real bad depression. I've tried using the pills, but they dont work. Maybe because they werent prescribed directly to ME. I got them from my cousin.

Idk though, in order to feel better I usually isolate myself from everybody. Being able to be alone& clear my head helps alot.

-I also like to talk to a friend or my school counselor (cheesy i know but shes cool). Talking things out help too.

-Its better then cutting yourself and crying all the time. (Also something I do to feel better, I know, I need to stop but im just used to it now)

Ok first off, please don't ever take anything, especially anti depressant medications if they aren't prescribed for you. There can be pretty serious side effects above and beyond the medicine simply not working.

Talking is a GOOD thing. I'm glad to see that you are utilizing your counselor at school. I think that many people forget that they're even there.

Does your counselor have any feedback for you, regarding your depression? Is it just sadness you feel or do you have more than what you'd consider "normal" anxiety?

When you cry, is it usually out of nowhere? Or is there a definite catalyst? If so, is the catalyst typically the same?

^extending to that, depression medicine isn't something that's like tylenol and is going to kick in an hour after you take it. it takes a long time before you can really evaluate if there was a positive effect. also taking someone else's depression medicine is probably a waste of time because biochemically we are different. there are lots of different kinds, and some work for some people and not other people. even if you were to go get a valid prescription you might go through multiple different kinds before finding one that was beneficial to you personally. so you shouldn't assume that because one doesn't work that medicine in general is a waste of effort.

1. She said I have temporary chronic depression. For instance, I'll have it for about 3months or more, then it'll go away for a couple months. But It's definetly depression, not just a feeling.

2. I cry out of nowhere. Anything makes me want to cry, it's crazy. &Once I start, It takes like a hour or more to make me stop.

i hate reading about shit like this because it always makes me feel like i have something when i don't.

look at funny pics

wtf i could watch garfield all day, but it doesn't change the fact that i'm not doing anything to fix anything.

WELL YOURE SPECIAL

me and pookie fo eber

tbh i really don't know yet if meds work since my psychiatrist just prescribed them today, but my understanding is that you're only supposed to be on the meds temporarily to get your life together (depression was affecting my work and academic life in a really negative way), but you're supposed to pair them with psychotherapy in the long run and slowly get weaned off meds so you can function normally.

idk though. i just recently started seeing someone only bc my school offers it for free and she says i fit the criteria for major depression or whatever that is and though she usually never thinks medication is a good idea after just one visit, she decided to put me on meds asap. fun.

You really think depressed people are going to realize that everything is okay by simply meditating on it? I beg to differ. I think it will have quite the opposite effect. Meditation might work on people who aren't depressed, but I think that it will backfire on depressed people. They more they think about the situation, the bigger the hole they will dig for themselves. You know what probably leads to suicides? Depressed people who "meditate" about how much their life sucks, how they have no power to change it, and how they will ultimately end their life. Depressed people have a certain mindset and they don't just snap out of it by thinking... they've actually got to do something.

There's a treatment called activation therapy. It basically makes depressed people get up, go out, and do something - ANYTHING - especially when they don't feel like it. Wallowing in self-pity meditation is not allowed. The whole point of this treatment is to get depressed people to change their behavior, and ultimately, their mindset. When you go out and engage with your environment, whether that be with nature, people, animals, or hobbies, it provides a whole new experience as opposed to sitting at home. Maybe you'll hear a funny joke, maybe you'll make a new discovery, maybe you'll run into an old friend - who knows? The possibilities are endless! Now I'm not saying to force your depressed friend to go to the nearest party, because that's probably not the best idea... so start slow. Go on a walk, but don't feel the need to talk. Help him/her to engage with the world again, to experience life, to start thinking about his/her life in a different and positive manner.

I used to suffer from depression.
and when i say suffer I mean literally, physically, and emotionally.

there's nothing wrong with being at home and sticking to yourself, just make sure you're happy about it. i enjoy staying at home cooking for myself, drinking and smoking, playing xbawks and watching movies. i get depressed when i have to me "nothing to do" and when i'm stressed out about "bigger things" in my life.

i think though if you want to get better, you have to want it. sitting around at home feeling sorry for yourself to me, says that you secretly enjoy it. the lifestyle of sloth, and feeling sorry for yourself. feels good huh?